This is my vessel:
The report:
St. George's Sound:
On a Saturday afternoon I dropped in at the public boat ramp at the St. George's Island side of the bridge. I paddled maybe 30 minutes out into the sound, and threw a poppin' cork with live shrimp. Nothing. Out of curiosity, I threw a bottom-rigged shrimp which yielded a few catfish and a stingray. I quit the bottom rigging after the stringray. The sky was looking crazy so I made my way back.
Carrabelle:
It was a Sunday and the kayak was still on the car, so why not? I wasn't trying to drive all the way out the St. George's Island again, so I dropped in at Timber Island and paddled out to the gulf. Poppin' cork on live shrimp and poppin' cork on 4" Gulp! shrimp, yielding catfish and ladyfish; I just left a poppin' cork rig out because it was fun. I moved to bottom rig and promptly got me a stingray, and I promptly quit the bottom rig. The sun was setting, and with nothing necessarily desirable hitting the poppin' cork and nothing pleasant coming from a bottom rig, so I tied on my lucky bone-coloured Spook Jr. I threw it everywhere, I walked that dog back with abandon, in every direction, and I got me this:
Measured roughly 20", a bit unexpected, and definitely a pleasant surprise; third time's the charm right? I stayed with the topwater for awhile until the bugs got nuts and managed a baby gar? (it was green and had nasty teeth), and an under-slot red.
Weekend total: $40 gasoline, $6 bait, and 1 redfish. Sounds good to me.
